Breathe In, Breathe Out
by EmeraldEyedJedi
Summary: When your world is turned upside down, sometimes all you manage is to breathe.  A galaxy-shaking change of events, told from many perspectives, vignette style.  Complete.
1. Luke

**Summary:** A galaxy-shaking change of events, told from many perspectives, vignette style.

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><p><strong>Luke<strong>

He was running, as quickly as his legs would carry him, across the dry sand. He didn't know where he was going - all he knew was that he needed to get away, fast.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

He stumbled and fell on one knee, crying out in pain and biting back tears of anger. He couldn't cry now; no, he needed to be strong. Scrabbling to his feet, he continued forward without looking back.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

He felt the blood running down his leg from the cut on his knee, felt his tunic soaked with sweat, felt the coarse sand stinging his skin and his eyes, felt the wind whipping his shaggy hair. He also felt the chill in the air as the twin suns dipped lower on the horizon.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

But he wouldn't, couldn't stop. They were coming for him. If they caught him, he'd surely be killed, just like his aunt and uncle - in the cruelest, most violent way possible.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

His lungs were on fire and his legs had gone numb. His throat was parched. How long had he been running? How far had he made it? Had he escaped the Imperials? No, of course not - they knew he was out here somewhere. After all, Darth Vader himself had come for him.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

The reason why escaped his eight-year-old mind. He was a nobody, just an orphan under the care of his loving aunt and strict yet amiable uncle. And why now? They had been living normally; nothing out of the ordinary had happened until the shuttle touched down. He still remembered the beating of his heart as the stormtroopers, their masks white as death, entered.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

Somehow - he still didn't know how - but he had hid as they forced Owen and Beru outside. He had thought that they were taking them away, but then he had heard it: the mechanical sound of pure evil.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

He had almost been sick. Frozen in terror, he had watched the perfectly polished raven boots pass by his hiding place once...then twice...then they stopped.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

He hadn't even looked up at the black-masked man as he bolted to the door, pure terror and adrenaline fueling him. He had only stopped short when he noticed a red stain on the sand. His eyes slid up, following the trail -

_Breathe in, breathe out_

He dropped to the ground on his back, finally exhausted of all his strength. The wind and the sand blew around him, threatening to bury him alive. But he didn't care. He was all alone now. He would never be able to escape. Let the elements or the Sand People claim him...it would surely be better than being taken by the Empire.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

No shelter in sight, no sense of direction, and the heat was quickly vanishing into the cool night Tatooine air. He had never felt such anguish as he did in that moment. Such hopelessness. Such grief.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

Finally, the tears came. He didn't push them away or dry his cheeks. He let them fall, wetting his tunic and the sand below him as he cradled his head in his arms.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

Closing his eyes, he wished it was all just a dream.


	2. Obi Wan

**Obi-Wan**

He did his best to quash the fear rising in his stomach. Jedi were supposed to remain calm and serene, not fear for attachments.

_Don't let go yet_

He had to hurry. He hadn't felt his presence in time, and now he had to hurry before more damage was done. He could feel the child, but he was weakening, tiring.

_Don't let go yet_

_Keep walking!_ he thought. He had failed the boy's father once before - he would not fail again. He had to find him before the child gave up.

_Don't let go yet_

The poor, sweet, innocent boy. He hadn't felt anything amiss until his terror had rung through the Force, so powerful and overbearing, that it had brought him to his knees. Oh yes, he had failed once - but he would make it up to him now by finding him.

_Don't let go yet_

He knew Luke had just witnessed more trauma than any innocent boy should ever. However, he had only felt it when Luke did. He hung his head - if only he had been able to come faster. He was pushing as hard as he could.

_Don't let go yet_

The suns were setting and the chill was creeping over the high dunes. Soon it would be dark. Luckily he didn't need light to see, for he had the Force. He could only hope it wasn't too late.

_Don't let go yet_

_No, no, no. Don't lie down - keep walking._ He felt the boy's terror, sadness, and sorrow emanating through the Force, felt his weariness and despair. _Don't stop._

_Don't _let go yet__

He jumped out of the speeder and knelt next to the boy lying on the sand. His shoulders were shaking with sobs. He touched the boy gently on his sandy-blonde head, and the clear blue eyes, rimmed in red from tears, snapped up to meet his face.

_Don't _let go yet__

He gently gathered the boy in his arms and brought him back to the speeder, fear suddenly squeezing at his heart. Vader was near.

_Don't _let go yet__

He flew over the dunes in the darkness with surprising speed, ironically feeling like a child running from a hounding monster. The Force had an odd sense of humor, he thought wryly.

_Don't _let go yet__

He noticed the boy next to him drying his tears. He laid a hand gently on the child's knee in a gesture of reassurance, doing his best to rearrange his expression to one of encouragement.

_Don't _let go yet__

He wasn't about to give up. Luke now needed him more than ever before. He glanced again at the small boy.

_Don't let go yet_

He had prepared a hiding place for the event that this would ever happen. Now, as the carried the child to safety, he was thankful he had prepared.

_Don't _let go yet__

But his heart was still heavy as he held Luke, his arms enfolding him in protection.

_Don't let go yet_

How had it come to this?


	3. Darth Vader

**Darth Vader**

Angry wasn't a strong enough word to describe what he was feeling. Livid, even. There was no way to depict his current dark fury.

_You cannot hide forever_

The boy had...evaded him. He couldn't fathom how. He had him cornered, but the child had burst out of his hiding place with incredible speed. Adrenaline fueled one, yes, but not like this. This was something else. He had felt it so strongly.

_You cannot hide forever_

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy certainly was his father's son. Not only in looks, but also in power - he was remarkably strong in the Force as his father had been before the encounter that had sentenced him to a life of hell in the damned suit.

_You cannot hide forever_

He growled, thinking about it. Now the boy - Luke - was with the man who had ruined his life. And then to add insult to injury, he hid his son away from him for eight whole years.

_You cannot hide forever_

He would find him. The old bond between him and his backstabbing master was tingling. He was very near.

_You cannot hide forever_

He stormed into the hut, with six of his best troopers following him. Dust and sand swirled about as his ebony cape waved behind him. If he didn't know better, he would have thought the old place was deserted - but he could feel the presences nearby. One was maddeningly calm, the other was gut-wrenchingly terrified.

_You cannot hide forever_

While his men fanned out, he wen directly towards the source of life. He had to smile at the disguised wall hiding the compartment - it was too much Obi-Wan's style. Taking ahold of it with the Force, he collapsed it to pieces.

_You cannot hide forever_

He greeted them with the song of his blood-red lightsaber. Obi-Wan's pale blue eyes spoke volumes - they expressed his heartbreak, disappointment, and unrequited love for him. But they also showed determination. He would not give up the boy so easily.

_You cannot hide forever_

The boy stared at his lightsaber with palpable fear. He felt a minuscule twinge of guilt at putting the child through this, but if he were to fulfill his destiny and join him at his father's side, he would need to become accustomed to it.

_You cannot hide forever_

Obi-Wan motioned for the child to stay down. Gripping his lightsaber, he met the older man's blue blade as it came down on him. He quickly realized that the man had been keeping up practice - he would need to be on his feet in order for this confrontation not to end like their last.

_You cannot hide forever_

The thought brought more rage that fueled him. He drove the older man back into the wall and glanced at the child, who was still staring. A smile crossed his face, and he suddenly brought his blade toward the boy.

_You cannot hide forever_

Alarm rippled through the Force and twisted the old Jedi's face as he dove in between the lightsaber and the boy. Unfortunately Obi-Wan's blade didn't meet his fast enough, and the smell of singed fabric and burnt skin filled the air as he took the blow to his chest.

_You cannot hide forever_

Luke's eyes grew wide and glassy as the Jedi fell to the ground. The boy dropped to his knees next to his savior, but he took ahold of his arm and roughly pulled him to his feet.

_You cannot hide forever_

He pulled the boy to follow him out of the hut, but the child put up a struggle, twisting every direction to look back at the fallen Obi-Wan. Their eyes met, and he wrenched the boy forward and pushed him out into the night.

_You cannot hide forever_

Watching as the tears streamed down his son's face, he longed to reach out and hold him, but he couldn't allow that yet.

_You cannot hide forever_

His mission was not complete.


	4. Yoda

**Yoda**

Leaning on his cane to balance himself physically, he closed his eyes and grimaced in an effort to remain stable in the rush of emotions that came at him through the Force.

_The future is in motion_

He caught his breath as the sensation passed, but now there was a void in the Force. A void that his fellow Jedi Obi-Wan once filled. He knew it was the apprentice's doing; the one who had turned and brought the Jedi Order to its knees.

_The future is in motion_

Thinking back, he wondered how things could have changed so suddenly. He hadn't foreseen it, for as strong as he was, it was impossible to see the always-swirling future. Still, he couldn't help but feel as if there were something he could have done.

_The future is in motion_

Guilt and shame had followed him the past eight years, surfacing at the most peculiar times, when at certain moments strange deja-vu would evoke old memories. Other occasions, he would be reminded of the two young children that were hidden away.

_The future is in motion_

He sat with an effort and stared into the crackling fire before him. Despite all he and his allies had fought through and sworn to protect, they - he - had failed.

_The future is in motion_

The boy had been found, and Kenobi was dead. The young, innocent light was now with his dark father. The Force was swirling with the change, with the destinies that had been altered.

_The future is in motion_

The hope for the future of the galaxy had all but vanished in the Force. He settled into a meditative state, searching, feeling, hoping that somehow, there was still a way.

_The future is in motion_

Riding the currents of the Force, he felt weightless as time and change passed before him. He saw a galaxy, once hopeless, filled with an ever-growing brightness, a glowing from within. The light was then swallowed as a cold, expansive darkness wormed up from the core and took ahold of everything, from one end of the galaxy to another.

_The future is in motion_

He heard mournful cries, both of terror and pain, as every last bit of light was sucked from the galaxy before him. Then it slowly disappeared, breaking apart with thundering silence. His heart ached as the void grew and space seemed not to notice that something was missing - as if it never was significant at all.

_The future is in motion_

He found it difficult not to give in to the discouragement that swirled around him. Plunging in, he flew back and forth over time, viewing possible futures and changes, hoping that somehow, a spark would ignite into a flame that could keep the galaxy whole.

_The future is in motion_

He couldn't know. All he could tell was that the light would be gone. The future looked black and hopeless. He lay down, his eyes closed.

_The future is in motion_

He wondered where he and the Jedi had gone wrong...how a future that looked so bright could become so bleak.

_The future is in motion_

As his breath slowed and finally stopped, he left the galaxy that had once loved him but no longer needed him.


	5. Bail Organa

**Bail Organa**

He sighed; another night in the cold, lonely bed. How he missed her - his love, his life. He rolled to his side and ran a hand across her pillow reverently, wondering if he would ever overcome the pain of losing her.

_I promise all my love_

His sweet daughter had taken it even harder than he had. It had been a year since they had lost Queen Breha to illness, but even still he would occasionally find his brown-eyed daughter in tears.

_I promise all my love_

Ever since his wife had passed, he had given his whole heart to his daughter. Leia was his pride and joy, and now the center of his life. He threw himself into raising her to be everything she could be.

_I promise all my love_

He closed his eyes, fatigue finally starting to set in after the long day's activities. He was thankful the palace was so quiet tonight - he needed the rest. He sighed and sunk further into the blankets.

_I promise all my love_

Only a few hours passed before he was awoken; not by noise, but by lack thereof. He sat up and looked around, surprised at the...silence. His satiny sleep pants rubbing against his skin made the only sound, seemingly louder than normal. His pulse pounded through his veins and ears. His breathing seemed to echo through the room...

_I promise all my love_

He paused, eyes searching the darkness, then took a step forward away from the bed. He stared ahead, then held his breath. The resounding breathing - in and out, in and out - didn't stop.

_I promise all my love_

The lights turned on and he reeled back a step, seeing the dark, foreboding figure standing next to the doorway of his room, contrasted by the wall of his white-clad minions. But what caused his heart to skip a beat was his eight-year-old daughter, gagged and held firmly in the dark lord's arms.

_I promise all my love_

She struggled in the monster's grasp, her long brown hair coming free of the loosely woven night braid. Leia's face was almost as pale as her nightgown. Darth Vader's iron grip held her firm as he stared.

_I promise all my love_

He slowly sat back down on the bed, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. Vader turned his head marginally and motioned for two stormtroopers to restrain him. He simply stared at his daughter, drinking her in, eyes wide, head moving back and forth in disbelief.

_I promise all my love_

The troopers moved towards him, and Leia squirmed and wiggled in the masked man's grasp. As they took ahold of his arms roughly, she started squealing and twisting, but to no avail.

_I promise all my love_

Darth Vader held his precious daughter tighter as a trooper stepped forward, bringing his blaster to arms and pointing it at his chest. Leia twisted in the Sith Lord's arms and turned away, but somehow managed to watch at the same time as the trooper brought the blaster up and switched the setting forward.

_I promise all my love_

He swallowed with difficulty, but kept his eyes fixed on his beautiful daughter's face. Her brown eyes glistened with tears that wet her cheeks. She struggled against Darth Vader's grasp and the gag that kept her silent.

_I promise all my love_

He thought it as if he were speaking to her. Leia straightened and made eye contact with him, looking deeply into his eyes, seemingly in understanding. She grew still and he watched a lone tear streak down her flushed face.

_I promise all my love_

He kept his eyes fixed on hers as the blaster sounded through the air and the flash of searing pain exploded in his chest.

_I promise all my love_

He only closed them as all feeling left his body and his soul exploded into light.


	6. Leia

**Leia**

Left and right, guards lay unmoving on the silent marble floors as they passed. She struggled to wipe away the tears that stung her eyes as she was dragged out of the palace. She glared at the hand that grasped her arm firmly and tried to wiggle away again, but to no avail.

_You can be brave_

Twisting, she looked back at only home she had ever known, and thousands of memories flooded her young mind. She remembered the joy of returning with her father from a day-long trip; the lightheartedness while playing with Winter out in the courtyard; the simple contentment of walking with her mother in the garden, before she fell ill and could not leave bed.

_You can be brave_

More tears sprung, but she willed them away, and cleared her eyes to look at the stark white shuttle ahead. A cold feeling made its way up her spine, and she hesitated for just a moment. The gloved hands on her arms pushed her forward none too gently.

_You can be brave_

She swallowed with difficulty and discomfort, but kept her eyes ahead and walked up the ramp, which was cold on her bare feet. Once she was seated on a hard bench, the gag was removed from her mouth.

_You can be brave_

She turned her brown eyes up to the dark man towering in front of her, doing her best to glare menacingly. Darth Vader laid a hand on her shoulder and motioned to a stormtrooper standing by.

_You can be brave_

She tried to keep her gaze on his emotionless mask, but her stomach dropped when the faceless lackey stepped forward and handed a small syringe to him. Her eyes grew wide as he brought the needle toward her. She felt a small prick in the side of her neck, then fell limp as consciousness left.

_You can be brave_

When she awoke, she was vaguely aware of another presence with her. Opening her eyes, she found two bright blue ones looking down on her. She jumped, and the eyes moved back, reminding her that they were a part of a face and therefore a body.

_You can be brave_

Groaning, she managed to sit up. She idly rubbed her neck where the ghost of the prick made her shiver. Swinging her legs to the side of the dirty cot she found herself on, she looked up at the blue eyes again, noticing the golden hair and young, tanned face they complimented.

_You can be brave_

He smiled slightly, and she felt one spread across her own face. He looked down at his feet shyly, then glanced back up at her. She patted the cot and he hesitated only a moment before coming to sit next to her.

_You can be brave_

She sat in silence, stealing shy glances at him, yet oddly comfortable in his presence, as if she'd known him all her life. It was a strange sensation, like one she had never felt before. She found herself comparing and contrasting him to her; they both wore white, but while hers was a clean nightgown, his was a dirty tunic and pants…

_You can be brave_

Her thoughts stopped when she felt him take ahold of her hand. A warm feeling spread from her fingertips to her palm, then made its way up her arm and blossomed in her chest. She looked up at him in mild wonder to see his cheeks flushed.

_You can be brave_

She smiled, and he relaxed visibly. She tucked her feet up and leaned against him, and very definite sense of knowing passed between them. This was right; she knew it without a doubt. She was meant to be with him...they were meant to be together, side by side.

_You can be brave_

The door to the side of the room swished open quietly, and she noticed that he cringed slightly. Her own heartbeat began to pick up as the mechanical breathing reached her ears.

_You can be brave_

Hands still joined, she and the boy stood on the cold floor, side by side. Despite her trembling, she squeezed his hand to reassure both of them.

_You can be brave_

Both stared at Darth Vader with matching gazes, and she knew this was why they were brought together.


	7. Palpatine

**Emperor Palpatine**

He sat on his throne, robed black as space, thinking, as he took in the view. It was all his, and his alone. He smiled in vain pleasure at the very thought of it.

_All power is mine_

It had been rather unfortunate at the time, that the accident which happened two years ago had left him without an apprentice. However, since then he had only come to understand that Darth Vader was weak; he had been stubborn, egotistic, and a thorn in his side ever since the day he met him on Naboo. The ignoramus had only been holding him back from supreme rule.

_All power is mine_

The news of the destruction of Vader's transport had carried disappointment, yes, but it also had brought great relief to him - he no longer had to worry about training, delegation of power, or betrayal. It was almost as if the Force was telling him that he had never needed an apprentice of any sort.

_All power is mine_

He had only become more powerful since that day, and had tightened his grip and extended his rule across the galaxy. It was truly his.

_All power is mine_

He heard the doors behind him hiss open, and his expression immediately turned sour as the throne revolved to face whoever dared to intrude upon his sequestration. He was mildly surprised to see not a dignitary standing before him, but three black-clad figures.

_All power is mine_

He stared at the intruders, face impassive, Force awareness extended outwards. He probed at each of the beings, but instead of meeting a blinding Force presence - or any presence - he was met with a void. It was as if there was a vacuum in the Force, a gaping hole, a screaming emptiness, where each one should have been.

_All power is mine_

Before he could make any motion, the middle and tallest figure stepped forward and pulled down the hood of the dark cloak. He managed to hide his sudden disbelief at the man before him: Anakin Skywalker.

_All power is mine_

It was as if time had been reversed ten years. He stared in horrified amazement at the man who no longer showed scars of the fateful duel on Mustafar. One thing was the same, however, and that was the piercing, maniacal yellow gaze.

_All power is mine_

The two smaller, similarly dark-robed figures stepped to his side, lowering their cowls simultaneously. From one side, yellow-brown eyes stared; from the other, a pair of red-blue. All three presences bled into the Force, and he realized the connection. They were _his_ children.

_All power is mine_

Wordlessly, he stood, understanding their intent. Skywalker was clutching a lightsaber in his hand and staring with murderous obsession. It was fortunate he knew how to play that game as well. It was laughable - did the man really believe he could overthrow him with only his young children at his side? It was ludicrous.

_All power is mine_

Cackling at the expectant buzz in the Force, he stepped forward, and Skywalker and his miniature puppets ignited their weapons - lightsabers. Always reliant on the physical, Anakin was, and it limited his potential. Maybe he would be able to take his children and put them to his use and show them their true power...that it could be limitless, like his. If they survived this conflict...

_All power is mine_

Anakin lunged forward, and the children dove to either side, their presences vanishing from the Force. He spread his arms, energy leaping between his fingers, blue bolts of intense, burning lightning jumping from finger to finger, awaiting his control.

_All power is mine_

He thrust a burst of Force lightning to his left and was satisfied when a startled cry came from the girl as the energy hit. Anger flared from Anakin, and he turned to face the tall, rapidly-approaching figure, who was waving his blood-red lightsaber wildly.

_All power is mine_

He stumbled as a portion of his being seemed to suddenly falter and disappear. He gasped in surprise as the energy fizzled out and he seemed to lose his sixth sense. He attempted to reach into the Force, but it simply wasn't there.

_All power is mine_

Out of the shadows, Skywalker's two children emerged, their arms raised, eyes closed, bodies trembling with exertion. For the first time, he was at a loss of understanding...he simply couldn't fathom how these children were blocking his deep connection with the dark side.

_All power is mine_

He howled in rage and leapt at the boy, who was closer, but Skywalker intercepted him and pushed him to the ground with ease. On his back, he breathed angrily as Skywalker looked down on him with a condescending smile.

_All power is mine_

His mind raced, thinking through hi options. This couldn't be happening to him - not now, not yet, not in this way. Skywalker's children came to stand at their father's side as he prepared to land a final blow on him.

_All power is mine_

He wouldn't let him get away with it. His old apprentice would not succeed this way - he _wouldn't._ He didn't have the Force, true, but that didn't mean he was powerless.

_All power is mine_

As the traitor Skywalker and his brainwashed children raised their blood blades concurrently, he stretched out one last time to where the Force should have been - but he still found nothing.

_All power is mine_

His last sight was the ironic view of his old apprentice smiling down on him in vengeance.


	8. The Galaxy

**A/N:** A big "thank you" goes to all of you who have read, followed, favorited, and especially reviewed this story. You all kept me motivated. :) Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The Galaxy<strong>

It was almost too much to bear, living life like this. They were weary, and the epidemic of pain and suffering spread from one end of the galaxy to the other.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

Ten, eleven, twelve years - no one could recall the exact time; it all felt the same to them. Days had stretched into weeks and months into years under the hard hand of rule now over them in the form of three dark beings.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

They often wished for the days of Palpatine's rule - in quiet, of course. His destruction had brought about this iron fist, and anyone with loyalties to the old emperor had been removed under public display, used as an example, as a threat.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

It was impossible for them to go anywhere without being stopped and searched by the black-armored Death Troopers, as they now were called. Anyone found without authorization as to where they were, what they were doing, and even who they were with, were carried away and never heard from again.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

Over time, the grip had only tightened. Their children were taken, their elders slain, the weak and useless discarded. They were living a nightmare...that's what this life of horror was.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

The Emperor, called the Father, had given his children a good deal of control in his galaxy, yet had managed to keep them under his thumb, watching carefully the decisions they made. However, since he had fallen ill, the Father had been unable to keep them leashed, and the Son and Daughter were now running amuck throughout the galaxy, abusing their authority and dark power.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

The Twins always did their best to stay far away from one other - they had never gotten along well, to say the least. If they knew the Son and Daughter were near, they did their ultimate best run as far away as possible. No one survived who were near the Twins when they fought.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

They dreaded the day the Father would pass, because then the Son and Daughter would go to war, dragging worlds and hapless beings into their battle to take the throne. They knew the barbarity they had witnessed was nothing compared to the storm that was on the horizon. They held their collective breath as the Father grew weaker and the Son and Daughter gained more power. It would be soon.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

A brave few tried to hold their heads high, tried to be optimistic, tried to bring some light into the galactic haze., but they were always overpowered. Twilight was falling.

_Lives consumed by darkness_

But in the hearts of each one, there was a small hope, a small light. Maybe somehow, some way, it would all end. Someday.


End file.
